On Wednesday, CNN
published a report about the literacy levels amongst college athletes from 37
public universities across America. Part of the data came from Mary Willingham,
an academic counselor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, who has
worked with student athletes since 2003.

The results? Not
great. More than half of student-athletes admitted to UNC between 2004 and 2012
had a reading comprehension level between fourth and eighth grade, and an
additional 8-10% read below a third grade level (keep in mind that UNC is one
of the best universities in the nation, with a 27.6% acceptance rate).

Since the report
has been published, Willingham has received death threats, messages containing
hate speech, and — perhaps most disturbingly — no support from the University,
which says they're "not aware" of Willingham's research (not true). Go
Tarheels!